Chapter 1 The Chilly Morning on the Island

The morning on the island was chilly. Before the sun fully rose, the cold carried by the sea breeze caressed all living things on Koki Koti Island like an icy hand.

At this hour of dawn, two figures were strolling in the Herbert Manor's garden廊.

One of them was Feng Bujue, and the other was Zuo Yan, holding Vidocq.

"Is this really okay?" Jue-ge said leisurely, "Leaving the rest of the mess to a half-drunk uncle to handle?"

"I've already arranged everything. It's the same whether he's here or not," Zuo Yan replied. "It's you..." He looked up at Jue-ge, "Is 'doing this' really okay?"

"What's wrong with it?" Feng Bujue retorted with a very frank tone, "Someone like John should have been in prison picking up soap at least ten years ago."

"I think... this is where our differing values lie," Zuo Yan continued.

What he was about to say represented not only himself but also Vidocq: "I said before, and I firmly believe... we detectives have no right to judge anyone. All we can do... is find the truth."

"Then who do you think has the right to judge others?" Feng Bujue asked immediately.

"The judicial system, of course," Zuo Yan replied.

"I see... so you believe in 'the law'..." Feng Bujue murmured thoughtfully.

"If I don't believe in the law, what else can I believe in?" Zuo Yan said.

"You can try religion," Feng Bujue laughed, "Let the 'spokesperson of God' tell you 'who God will judge' and 'how God will judge'."

"Heh..." Zuo Yan understood what Jue-ge meant, and he laughed too. "Do you think the law is as unreliable as religion?"

Feng Bujue didn't directly answer his question but paused and said, "I have a friend who's a lawyer. He once said... his favorite movie line is—'If you want justice, go to a brothel; if you want to get screwed, go to court'."

"A very... interesting point of view." Zuo Yan didn't know how to respond, but Vidocq replied with this sentence in his heart.

"You say detectives 'can only' find the truth, then I want to tell you..." Feng Bujue said, "'The truth' is... irrelevant.

"Our judicial system doesn't care about the truth. What the judicial system pursues is relative justice, the deterrent force of the legal system, and the efficiency that must be maintained at a certain level.

"Our judges don't care about the truth. They are just performing their duties, supervising and controlling the trial process, and announcing the results.

"Our jury doesn't care about the truth either. They are just fulfilling their civic duty, accepting and choosing the relatively more credible set of arguments that one of the lawyers instills in them."

"And our lawyers... care even less about the truth; quite the opposite of detectives, what lawyers 'can do' is to set aside the so-called 'truth' and provide the best defense for their clients; the professional ethics of this industry require them to ignore their own moral standards and emotional inclinations, and become players who can influence the outcome in the game called 'law'. 'Truth' for them is at most a bargaining chip that can be used.

"But... can you say that our system is wrong? Can you say that every link, every person in this system is wrong?

"Obviously not. In fact... they are all right. They are all doing what they should do, the right thing.

"Only in this way can we maintain this 'relatively just' system and maintain the stability of this society built on the rule of law."

When Feng Bujue said this, he glanced at Zuo Yan, and then, inadvertently, he shifted his gaze down and glanced at Vidocq.

"No..." After a moment, Zuo Yan opened his mouth, "I don't agree with this statement... Although there are many things you said that I can't refute; but at least... I can be sure that 'truth' still has meaning.

"In countless cases in this world, perhaps not every 'truth' can be exchanged for 'justice', but if no one pays attention to and pursues 'truth', then we will not even be able to obtain 'relative justice', and the judicial system that humans have continuously improved over the years will collapse as a result."

"Hehe... so that's what you think..." Feng Bujue said with a smile, "Interesting..." He paused for another half second, looked at Vidocq, "Very interesting..."

"No, it's nothing interesting..." Zuo Yan replied on behalf of Vidocq, "But sometimes, 'not interesting' is a good thing." He raised his head, looking at the distant morning glow, "If our judicial system really collapses and we return to an era where 'a minority of people use the name of God to allocate power and judge everything', that would be interesting."

"Heh... I'm not saying your point of view is interesting," Feng Bujue said, "I'm amused by the fact that 'you hold a different point of view from me'."

"Oh?" Zuo Yan questioned, "Isn't that normal? We've only known each other for less than a day. It would be strange if we found that our values were highly consistent, right?"

"Hmm..." Feng Bujue heard this and smiled inscrutably, "Heh... yes, that's right."

In fact, his "that's right" was not entirely in agreement with Zuo Yan's words, but what he himself was thinking at this moment was—a writer's own values, personality, abilities, and cognition... should be inconsistent with the characters he creates.

The most difficult thing to explain in this world is "people", and for a person, the most difficult thing to objectively and accurately examine and describe... is themselves.

Since he can't even write clearly about what he is like, how can the characters he creates be the same as him?

"Speaking of which..." After a while, Zuo Yan said again, "Even if I turn a blind eye to this case... and treat your reasoning as the final conclusion, I can't guarantee whether the follow-up will proceed as you wish."

"Hehe... don't worry," Feng Bujue said, "I can guarantee that John and Sam will get the ending they deserve... at least in my heart, the ending that satisfies me."

"Ha?" Zuo Yan squinted his eyes and chuckled dryly, "The way you say that... sounds a bit like the tone of those medieval religious leaders who 'speak on behalf of God'..."

"Then just take it as 'God' telling you directly," Feng Bujue replied with a smile, then suddenly stopped, "Alright... it's about time, I have to go... Goodbye, Zuo Yan, goodbye... Vidocq."

"Time?" This sudden change of topic and farewell made Zuo Yan hesitate for a few seconds before turning his head, "Are you going to the pier to catch a boat?"

However, when he turned his head, the mysterious detective named "Feng Bujue"... had already disappeared.